Gillard launches gender inquiry

Political editor, The Age

"I want us to be a nation where [there is] equal opportunity for everyone at every time in their life": Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

The Gillard government will launch an inquiry by the Australian Human Rights Commission into the treatment of women in the workplace, marking a return to the vexed issue of gender equality by the Prime Minister.

To be revealed on Saturday, the inquiry follows sustained pressure from the ACTU and follows last week's speech by Julia Gillard warning voters that women's voices would struggle to be heard and that access to abortion would be threatened if the Coalition won office.

The speech sparked a heated week-long debate about gender issues fuelled by revelations of sexual abuse in the Australian Defence Force, the leaking of a sexist and offensive menu targeting Ms Gillard and radio announcer Howard Sattler being sacked after demanding Ms Gillard answer whether her partner Tim Mathieson was gay.

Ms Gillard's poll rating slumped by 7 percentage points among men while rising only by 1 point among women.

Advertisement

Undeterred by the furore, she told Fairfax Media the inquiry would be ''pivotal'' in assessing the scale of the problem for women in the workplace and what should be done about it.

''It's very concerning that there are even anecdotal reports that people, particularly women, feel discriminated against when they are caring for young children,'' Ms Gillard said on Friday.

''Given that I want us to be a nation where [there is] equal opportunity for everyone at every time in their life, I want to get to the bottom of the problem and what the solutions could be.''

Concerns include that women are being demoted, sacked or having their hours unfavourably ''restructured'' while they are on parental leave, or after their return to work.

The ACTU has provided evidence that one in three women leave the workforce permanently while pregnant or after having a child.

As part of the inquiry the commission will conduct a national survey on the prevalence, nature and consequences of discrimination relating to pregnancy at work and the return to work after parental leave.

After taking evidence from industry, employer, unions, other groups and victims of discrimination, Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick will make recommendations on whether new laws are needed.

The inquiry was supported by former attorney-general Nicola Roxon before she left the portfolio this year and will be announced on Saturday by her successor Mark Dreyfus, Families Minister Jenny Macklin; and Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten.

ACTU president Ged Kearney said the inquiry was needed because too many families were struggling under a system that had ''not evolved to take into account the modern family''.

Ms Kearney said women continued to experience discrimination in the form of job loss, missed opportunity for promotion and training and even demotion when they returned to work, ''because many bosses out there just don't get it".

Employer groups are understood to support the approach of researching the scale of the problem and best practice before discussion of possible new measures.

An ACTU survey of 42,000 women last year found employer unwillingness to consider flexible work arrangements to help them return from parental leave was a primary cause of stress, forcing many to quit their job.

"It's illegal to discriminate against women for being pregnant but this hasn't stopped one in five women reporting that they have been disadvantaged in the workplace," Ms Kearney said.

A national online survey will be conducted in August before an interim report by the commission in October.

After three months of consultation with affected groups and individuals, the commission's final report will be presented next May.